Heading north on Rue de Coralita on our way to Le Galion Beach, St. Martin for the day, we turned the corner to Baie de l’Embouchure and saw what appeared to be a couple of people walking on water – a good distance from the shore – toward one of the small islets in a protected area of the bay. We immediately pulled over to see what was going on.

The area is called Ilets de la Baie de l’Embouchure and is a protected area on the southern edge of Baie de l’Embouchure. From the parking lot, walk up to an observation platform overlooking the beautiful bay and check out the plaques providing information about the area, history and ecosystem. From the platform you can look north to Le Galion and to the south and east you can see St. Barths.

We talked to several people who had just returned from “walking on the water” to one of the small islets, and they showed us the route to take across the water. There’s a shallow path of pebbles from the shore to one of the islets where the water is only a few inches deep.

It’s about a 10 minute walk across the watery path to one of the rocky, windswept islands. You’ll need to wear water shoes or sandals. The path in the water is made of pebbles and the island is comprised of sharp rock.

Nothing is quite as calming as a pictures of a palm tree next to beautiful blue water, and over the years we’ve amassed a nice collection of these types of pics. So…we thought we’d put some of our favorites together to share with you. Actually, we can’t verify that they are all palm trees – sorry- we’re far from palm experts, but they’re definitely palm looking plants that give us the same tropical feel! Since we couldn’t narrow it down any more than this, this is a sort of Tropical Palm Pictorial Journal. Pull up a glass of rum and enjoy a little tropication!

O.K, these are palm fronds on a palapa (and a small palm to the right), but we’re gonna count it anyway because it’s just super fun to look at and remember. Extra points for the rum punch at Guys Driftwood Boat Bar in St. Maarten.

Hard to believe there could be palm trees on a manmade conch shell island off of Union Island in the Grenadines, but as you can see, there certainly are palms on Happy Island!

Here’s another one to add to your Mojito Recipe Files – a Dark Mojito. It’s truly just a slight variation of The Perfect Mojito and a Dirty Mojito and in our opinion, tastes the rummiest of the three! Use a dark rum with a taste that you find pleasant, as the dark rum taste does rise above the milder taste of mint and sugar.

I’d never even been on a helicopter before and as I’ve mentioned before, have a bit of a fear, well, of falling, so I was pretty impressed that the other half of our team was able to talk me into not only a helicopter ride over Kauai, but a DOORLESS helicopter ride. After all, (he said), with no doors to block the view, this would be THE BEST way to get photos of Na Pali. Don’t tell him I said so, but, he was right…

We booked a 90 minute morning ride which took off from Lihu’e Airport.

We each had the back seat with a totally unobstructed view. I was a bit nervous until our pilot strapped us in – tightly – with large straps over the shoulders. We were each given a headset to hear the pilot and to ask questions. And then we took off.

Heading south towards Nawiliwili, we got an excellent view of the harbor where the cruise ships dock.

Then turning west, we headed into the ultra lush and green mid-section where we were treated to one spectacular waterfall view after another…

And could see why so many films, such as Jurassic Park had chosen Kauai to film scenes in their movies.

We soon came upon Waimea Canyon, known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
Note the small hang glider below us…

And suddenly popped out on the rugged and colorful Na Pali Coast.

Nearly at visual sensory capacity, we were then flown into the center of an extinct volcano which was eerie and beautiful at the same time…

More stunning scenery of the North Shore on the way back to the airport.

Pineapple Rum Sorbet – perfect treat for the warm and lazy days of summer! We used an ice cream maker to mix our batch up, but if you don’t have one, just put the mix in a freezer safe container, freeze overnight, then re-mix in the blender and freeze a little longer. Easy and delicious!

Pineapple Rum Sorbet

Pineapple & Rum Sorbet(makes 4-6 servings)

1/4 c. gold rum 1 c. water 1 c. sugar1 fresh, ripe pineapple

Peel and core the pineapple. Cut into chunks and place in a blender. Pour the rum in the blender. Heat water and sugar on the stove until the sugar melts. Cool, then add to the blender. Blend all ingredients just slightly – it’s ok to have small chunks of pineapple (in fact, we prefer it!) Using an ice cream maker (or the method above) freeze the mix. Garnish with pineapple and enjoy.

It’s hard to pick a favorite beach on St. John – there are just so many gorgeous ones. There’s one after another on St. John’s north shore and one of the closer ones to Cruz Bay is Hawksnest Bay.

Hawksnestis easy to get to, has parking close to the beach, has good amenities such as BBQ grills, restrooms and covered pavilions, and because of these conveniences – can get busy.What we like the most about Hawksnest is that it’s a great place to have a picnic, is great for swimming and snorkeling (unless there’s a north swell) and has some terrific shady areas and a little privacy in and amongst the lush foliage.

Walk along the beach to the west then on a trail through the woods next to the water to get to Little Hawksnest Beach for a little more seclusion, or drive .3 miles past the Hawksnest Beach parking lot to park and enter Gibney Beach, which is actually part of Hawksnest Bay. Gibney has very limited parking but is beautiful and usually quite secluded.

We stumbled by Nature Boy Beach Bar by accident a few years ago while walking Long Bay Beach in Tortola.Unfortunately the bar was closed at the time and so on our recent visit to Tortola we decided to stop by once again.

The bar itself is small and has been assembled with materials found on the beach and land, but it’s located on stunning Long Bay Beach, just about where the road takes a left for Smuggler’s Cove.

Secluded and quiet, Nature Boy Beach Bar isa great place to relax, take in the scenery and enjoy a cold beverage.

Chat with Winston, aka Nature Boy, about Long Bay and the surrounding areas history. He eagerly shares his story about how he has built his own place in the sun – the bar and his home behind it.

If you’re in the area, or headed past it on the way to Smuggler’s Cove, be sure to stop in to say hi to Winston, enjoy a cold beer or Rum Punch and checkout the amazing scenery. As Winston says, it’s “Natures Little Secret”…

Orient Bay Beach on the French side of St. Martin is undoubtedly the best known and busiest beach on the island.

With two miles of beautiful, powdery, white sand it’s easy to see why so many people flock to Orient to spend time lounging, walking, visiting one of the great beach bars, people watching and playing in the stunning blue water.

You might know Orient Beach as the “nude” beach and yes, the southernmost part of Orient is clothing optional and part of the naturist resort Club Orient.

The rest of Orient is divided into sections – each with it’s own restaurants, chair and umbrella rentals and shops. Heading north from Club Orient, the sections include Kontiki, Kakao, Bikini Beach, Waikiki, Coco Beach and Palm Beach.

Kontiki

Each section has a different feel and some sections are busier then others – although there were pockets of activity all the way down the beach. It did seem that in general though, the beach became a little quieter and less crowded as we walked north – away from Club Orient.

Bikini Beach

Coco Beach

Orient also offers water sport options and rentals such as kiteboarding, parasailing and jet skiing.

Orient Bay Beach can get really busy, especially on days when there are numerous cruise ships at port in Philipsburg. But even if you prefer quieter beaches, with two + miles of gorgeous sand and water, you can almost always find a quiet spot to relax and just take in the beauty….

It’s been a long time in the works, but we’ve finally launched the new and updated Rum Therapy Website with lots of great features to give you ideas of beaches, bars, accommodations, places to eat and things to do and see on your next tropical vacation! In the mood for a little tropical day dreamin’? No problem! Stop on by for a daily dose of Tropication!

So what’s new on our updated site? Here’s a list with links to check out each features:

About:Want to find out more about Rum Therapy, who’s behind it all and how it began?

Blog:
There are several ways to get to our blog posts, and this is a good place to start. This page features a few of our recent posts. Check out the categories on the right hand side, as well as a list of some of the most popular posts. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Use the Blog Directory by Island picture link on our Home page.

Shop:
Rum Therapy Tees, Caps for men and women and more! Watch for our new Island Tees coming soon!

Rum Recipes:
Wow! We love how this page turned out! Find a great looking recipe, click, mix and enjoy! We also have a Rum Recipe by Category Picture Link on our Home page.

Contact:
Are you interested in receiving our Advertising Media Kit with advertising options and rates, or interested in finding out how we can help you promote your tropical accommodation, service or product? We’ve got some great ideas for you to explore! Fill out this form to request and receive our Media Kit via email: Advertising Media Kit

Or, do you have a comment or a question on a product or a blog post that we can answer for you? Let us know! We’d love to hear from you! Contact Us

Beaches, Bars & More

In response to the numerous requests of what to see and what to do on the islands we feature and oh, “where the heck on the island is it?” We’ve put together a map for each island with pins to mark some of our favorite, beaches, bars, accommodations and things we’ve enjoyed. Many of these pins include pictures we’ve taken or links to the articles we’ve written. It’s our hope that these maps will be helpful as you plan your next tropical getaway. Find this feature under the Beaches, Bars & More tab on the menu bar.

Navigate these maps by clicking on the pins shown (beaches, bars, attractions, lodging and restaurants) or by clicking a specific item bar under an island (ie: Pomato Point under the Anegada map)

We’ll be adding many more islands and pins in the days and weeks to come, so check back often!